


i, i love the colorful clothes she wears and the way the sunlight plays upon her hair

by kareskun



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-13
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-15 00:34:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11794734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kareskun/pseuds/kareskun
Summary: Star Wars Femslash Week 2017 Day 1: Fake Dating AURey has to do some favors for Jess - which involve Rose.





	i, i love the colorful clothes she wears and the way the sunlight plays upon her hair

**Author's Note:**

> this is so bad god . but uh. i tried so yeah this is supposed to b kinda-ish fake dating au

When Jess called her in absolute distress, Rey was on her way to the electronics store to get some knick knacks for her current project. She was just rounding the last corner, when her phone buzzed. Hoping it wasn’t something important, she let it ring out. Answering the phone wasn’t one of her favorite things to do anyway.

As she locked her bike at the store, her phone started buzzing again. Rey was considering letting it ring out again. She really didn't feel like answering. She dug it out of her backpack and checked who was calling. If it was Finn she would definitely answer. Although he usually texted. He wasn’t that big on calling either. Her screen flashed with a number she hadn’t seen before. A little nervousness started making rounds in her stomach and she decided to ignore it.

However, just as she was at the first shelf it started up again. Trying to ignore the little dragon twisting in her stomach, Rey decided to answer. Whoever was calling seemed pretty desperate.

“Hello?”

An agitated voice came through from the other end.

“Hey Rey? Uhm here is Jess, I’m a friend of Poe. We’ve met before? I was the cool one? Anyways, Poe gave me your number and uh I have a quick question and a potential favor to ask.”

Jess took a breath.

“You’re gay right? I mean Poe said so but I trust like fifty percent of what comes out of his mouth and –”

Rey decided to stop her there. Something was making Jess stressed out, which was very obvious when Rey compared this Jess to the cool and fun Jess Rey had already met a couple of times.

“Yeah sure I am, what’s up?”

“Oh thank god. Ok so I have this project for photography right but I’m like ten years behind and I just don’t care about anything anymore … would you mind doing me a favor and modelling for me?”

“… uh … I mean I was going to do this thing with Finn today but uh sure. Is it anything specific or?”

Rey was totally stunned. She didn’t know Jess that well, but this seemed important to her and why should she refuse? She knew how stressing deadlines were. On the other end, she could hear Jess breathing a sigh of relief.

“No no no I’ll explain everything when u get hear. Be at my place in an hour? I’ll text you the address. And wear whatever I guess? Thank you so much for doing this! You are the best!”

And with that, Jess hung up. Rey, shell-shocked, quickly gathered the last of her supplies. As she was checking out, her phone buzzed with a new message. It was Jess’ address. After quickly calculating the time it would take her, Rey decided she had time and change to not show up in her grease stained shirt.

Her key clicked in the door and then rattled in the key bowl. She kicked off her shows and then slid around into the living room where Finn was sitting on the couch.

“Oh hey, you’re back!” he said, struggling up from where he had been taking a nap.

Rey hopped around depositing her various items everywhere which Finn greeted with an eye roll.

“Yeah I am! I also have to leave again to do this favor for Jess, ya know Poe’s friend, so I don’t know how long that will take – we might have to move cinema. Love ya!”

And Rey was out again, blowing a quick kiss.

Upstairs she hurriedly took her least greasiest shirt and overalls and threw them on. Sliding down the stairs, she mentally rehearsed the route she would have to take to Jess. She grabbed her keys on the way out and off she was.

As she drew nearer to Jess’ place she started noticing the huge amount of trees popping up everywhere. First there were one or two, then seven, then twenty, and then the whole place was full them. Rey whooped. The wind in her ears, the fresh smell of green all around her, the little patches of sunlight flickering here and there – she was in a little green patch of heaven. Far too soon she arrived at her destination. It was a little house with a little green door and an array of bikes in the front. Rey decided to let her bike join the little party. All of the different bikes there, it looked kind of pretty.

After checking the clock again, and seeing she was just on time, Rey rang the doorbell. Or well – tried to. There wasn’t actually one. So she knocked. With a fancy dragon knocker. That was hanging there and not at all fitting in with the rest of the style. Silence. She knocked a second time. Now she could here the pat pat of feet getting louder and louder till – the was ripped open and a woman with beautiful crown braids –

“Karé?”

The woman smiled crookedly.

“Yeah? Rey?”

“Mhm.” Rey nodded. Karé motioned her to follow her.

“This way. Just put your shoes anywhere. Jess’ waiting for you and Rose is also here!”

Even when Rey was three hours early, she would be the last one to show up. And Roses? Who was that?

“Uh Rose?”

“Uhm yeah, Rose. You don’t know her?”

“Nah. Never met her.”

They arrived at what Rey was guessing was Jess’ studio. Inside was Jess, sitting at table, camera laid out next to her, glass of lemonade in front of her. Opposite her was who had to be Rose.

The first thing that struck Rey was that she was giggling quietly, her mouth scrunched up in a smile that spreading over her whole – there was no other word for it – heavenly face. She had her black hair in a little pointy ponytail with the rest of it framing that, Rey took a deep breath, totally endearing face. And those giggles. Just a little push and Rey would full out start laughing.

That’s when Jess noticed them. She jumped up from her chair and threw herself at Rey.

“Hey Rey! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR DOING THIS YOU’RE A LIFESAVER!”

Rey took two cautious steps back to avoid falling over with Jess on her.

“Uh, you’re welcome? Although I still don’t know exactly what I’m doing.”

Hurriedly, Jess started picking up her things, including her camera. Mirroring her, Rose stood up and started collecting the odd ends on the table.

“Ok so, as you know I have this project and halfway through I realized all my lesbian and bi friends were single”, Karé raised her eyebrows, “yeah but you’re my girlfriend and who’s gonna take the pictures if I’m in them? Anyways,” Jess continued, throwing on a snapback while heading outside, “I had a brilliant idea and so basically just pretend to be a couple and I’ll take some pictures and then we’re done!”

Uh. Uuuh. Excuse her? A couple? What? Rey couldn’t do that! Rey couldn’t do that at all because of a hundred reasons of which were all incidentally Rose and she just couldn’t do it. Not Rose. Rose was too pretty and probably wore flower crowns on a daily basis and Rey hadn’t even talked to her and she already had a crush on her and she couldn’t do it. At all. No.

Rose chose that moment to turn to Rey and introduce herself. Her voice rode that edge of laughter, springing from word to word, rolling out faster and faster as excitement propelled it.

“Hi! Sorry I didn’t introduce myself back there but, uhm yeah, I’m Rose, nice to meet you!” A giggle bubbled up. A little blush started to bloom on Rey’s cheeks. Nervously she stuck out her hand.

“Hi, I’m Rey? Nice to meet you too”, she stammered out while shaking Rose’s hand.

Jess led them out of the house and into their garden? General park area? Whatever it was, it was extremely green. Overflowing green. Green coming out of all cracks and gaps, inhaling leftover space. Rey felt – at home. She felt at home and calm. Nevertheless, she was also beginning to have a sneaking suspicion that she should continue making some sort of conservation with Rose which sent her nerves into fluttering.

“Ahm.” She cleared her throat. Similarly, her mind was absolutely blank. “Uh. So. Are you studying or are you working or –?” That last or reverberated in the silence following Rey’s half-assed question. Rose tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I’m studying to become an engineer and I’m currently also working as a car mechanic!” Rey’s heart melted a little more. Simultaneously, a big, fat smile was growing on her face. “What about you?”

“Oh that’s so cool! I’m studying electrical engineering!” Rose fistbumped her. That in itself was an experience. And Rose continued to talk animatedly.

“Then you know how it is when Jess called me and she was like ‘oh you have to wear nothing special’ but it’s already a challenge for me to find something that’s clean and that’s not a ball gown? It’s just. All dirty. So I took this one which is cleanest I could find”, she said gesturing to her shirt. And yeah. Rey could find at least two stains from here. But it’s not like hers was any better.

“Exactly! I mean I could find you at least five spots on this shirt and I swear to god I have never worn it while doing anything dirty?” Rey laughed and Roses joined in.

And their laughter bloomed. And grew. And it grew until they were choking, breathlessly and soundlessly convulsing. And Rey felt happy. Happy in this shared space, happy laughing her ass off with Rose. And then she felt longing. It wasn’t even over yet but she wanted to do it again. And there they were, kneeling on the grass, and Rose showed off one of her stains, saying it looked like a horse, and it all started again.

Until Rey realized that Jess was taking pictures. Of them lying in the grass. Together. Laughing. She sobered up faster than you can say disaster. It wasn’t a disaster, really. But it wasn’t ideal either? She looked at Jess hiding her face behind her camera. The camera flashed. Jess stuck out her head and winked. You know that one zoom that happens in movies and shows and stuff? Where the character looks up and it zooms out and out and out until you’re watching the earth from space or something? That happened to Rey for the rest of the afternoon.

She watched herself from above as Jess took some more generic pictures and as Rose giggled and as she – well her body – giggled in response.

***

The days passed. Rey did her things, studying, dirtying up her shirts, hanging out with Finn, and only occasionally thought of Rose. The occasionally is very important here. Rey did not think of Rose often, or even very often, but occasionally. If someone had asked her whether she thought of Rose and her happy giggles never, rarely, occasionally, often, or very often she would answer occasionally. Because Rey didn’t think of her often. Often was too much. But occasionally was just right. The right amount to show that she was thinking about her but not obsessively. Rey was definitely not thinking about Rose obsessively.

One morning at breakfast, as Rey was still half asleep mulling over her annoying professor and what Rose would say about him, Finn said something. And that something was this:

“I know you’re still half asleep but Poe told me you’re dating one of his friends now? And I’m really happy for you but I’m your best friend and you could have told me that? Seeing as I’m your best friend?”

Rey froze. Dating? Who? Finn poked her.

“Uh. Uhm. I don’t know how to tell you this but. Uh.” She yawned. “I don’t think I’m dating anyone. Like. I’m pretty sure.” She yawned again. “I mean I should know. But I’m drawing a blank at the moment. I don’t think I’m dating anyone, no.” She shook her head and yawned again. Sometimes she wished coffee would work on her. Finn looked slightly perplexed as far as she could judge.

“Really? Wow. Poe was pretty sure, as in he showed me actual photo proof. Here I’ll show you”, he said and pulled out his phone. Rey was stunned. She didn’t really remember kissing anyone or doing anything else that could be interpreted as a dating activity – although she did want to date – and not just anyone, someone – but she was fairly sure she hadn’t? However, it was early in the morning and her brain was still clogged with sleep.

And when Finn shoved his phone under her nose that aforementioned someone was in the picture. Rey groaned. Put her head in her hands. Yawned. And repeated it again. When she was ready to articulate her feelings to Finn, she yawned again for good measure and tried to explain it to him. Somehow.

“God. No. We’re not together. No. Far from. I DON’T EVEN HAVE HER NUMBER FINN. It was for a thing for Jess, you know her, and apparently Jess spread it and now everyone thinks we’re a thing? That’s what happening? God but no.” And another yawn, this time more to mask the rising redness in her cheeks. Finn looked back at the picture from where he had been watching her talk.

“You know you look really good together?” Not even Rey’s hands could mask the firetruck red on her face this time. “You like her!” Finn shouted with a shit-eating grin.

“As I said, I. Don’t. Even. Have. Her. Number.” Each word was accentuated with a loud bang as Rey head fell on the table.

Her phone took that exact moment to ring. Digging out of the mess on the table, she checked the caller ID and saw it was Jess. When you speak of the devil, she motioned to Finn. Grumbling, she took the call.

“Hello Jess. It’s very early and my brain isn’t working and also I have something to ask you –”

“Hi Rey! Yeah sorry about the time. I might have another favor to ask of you? You remember that project you helped me with right?” Oh yes, Rey remembered it. “Cool. There’s a stage two to it. Turns out my professor doesn’t ‘believe’ you’re a real couple so could you just show up to this exhibition thing? I already told Rose all the details and I gave her your number so yeah thanks for doing this bye!” And with that, the call was over.

Raising one eyebrow, Finn looked at her expectantly. Rey responded by yawning and laying her head on the table.

“Turns out I have a date” she mumbled.

***

Per Finn’s suggestion (more like “I just texted Rose on your behalf and she definitely wants to meet up for coffee in two hours”), Rey was now on her way to see Rose. And possibly talk to her. She wasn’t really sure about that part yet. In all honesty, she wasn’t sure about the first thing either. But they were friends? Rey was only inferring this from the large amounts of pictures Rose had sent her of the cars she was currently working on and Rey’s very enthusiastic replies. However, Rey did not have great social skills. Turns out if the only two people you interact with in your childhood are Finn and your reclusive father figure who likes staring at a singular stone for ten hours then you don’t really turn out to be a people person. Nevertheless, Finn was a great a people person, Rey mused. How come that. Must be his natural Finn-ness.

She almost felt the urge to whistle, which was completely misplaced feeling since she could not whistle to save her life. However, she could buy Rose some flowers, she thought as she went by the little flower shop on the corner. Or she could stop thinking bullshit. They were just friends after all, and you didn’t bring your friends flowers randomly.

As she pulled into the bike stands at the coffee shop, she tried to stop herself thinking of cute moments related to Rose in a fashion, nevertheless, failing as she spotted exactly her being even more radiant and Rose-y, sitting at a table in the sun. The sun was feeling generous today, it seemed, as its rays fell in the exact way to make Rose sparkle. Might have been Rey’s imagination, on the other hand.

At that exact moment, Rose spotted her and waved. Self-consciously, Rey waved back, weaving through tables and chairs to get to her table. In front of Rose there was a cup of, as far as Rey could see, green tea. Rose herself was wearing a striped shirt and her hair in a bun, with the usual strands of hair escaping and framing her face. Rey slid into to her seat and nervously smiled at Rose. Rose, almost as self-consciously as her, returned the gesture. Silence followed suit. The silence had a kind of electric charge to it. If Rey was to hold an opening in a circuit to it, she was sure the bulb would light up. Sparks were crackling in her ear as she was cautiously bouncing her leg under the table, and she was positive that this silence had less resistance than an ammeter.

“Hi! Can I get you anything?” A waitress had appeared, interrupting Rey’s musings about the resistance properties of this silence and other silences. Drawing a complete blank, she decided to get some water.

“So how’s uni?”, asked Rose suddenly.

“Good, I guess.”

Silence.

“How’s uni for you?”

“Not bad. A lot of work but not bad.”

After another short silence, in which both realized the other was probably lying too, they both started talking at the same time.

“I’m so sorry about Jess”, Rose burst out while Rey was trying to cautiously approach the subject with: “So about the Jess thing –”

“I have been friends with Jess for quite some time and this is absolutely criminal and I have been really trying to get us out of this”, Rose tried again, “but she won’t bug at all. She already owes me like sixteen favors, why am I still doing this?” she huffed exasperated.

“It’s not your fault and it’s really alright! It’s not like I have anything better to do…” Rey trailed of.

Rose took a sip of her tea.  
“It’s just that, if you don’t want to do this, I can totally understand, and we can just not do it!”

“No, no. It’s really alright.” Rey wanted to do this for the rest of her life. “I’m totally chill,” she cringed, “with this.” She offered a small smile.

“Ok.” Rose smiled back.

“So… how do we do this?”

Rose shrugged her shoulders.

“I think we just have show up and hold hands and uh that’s it?”

Please god, let that be it, I can’t handle more, Rey said inside her head. To Rose, she said: “I can pick you up like the gallant girlfriend I am but I also only have a bike so yeah?”

Giggling, Rose answered: “Yeah no problem. Pick me up? Please? Interestingly, I don’t actually own a working mode of transportation currently, so there is that…” She handed Rey a piece of paper of her address and then told her the time. It went into Rey’s bag and she really hoped she would be able to find it again.

The rest of their kind-of-date went well, in Rey’s opinion. They talked a lot, about this and that. Well, laughed mostly, but that was besides the point.

***

Rey had gathered from various sources that this “exhibition thing” was rather fancy and that she should dress in something “preferably without grease stains”. Obviously under the illusion that she owned such clothes. However, with Finn’s help, she had been able to scrounge up something remotely fancy, and now she was wearing a long swishy skirt and a simple blouse.

Now, she decided, was the time to buy flowers. A singular flower, her wallet told her as the stopped at the florist. A singular red rose. She shoved it between her teeth and hurried to Rose’s. As she neared, she could already see Rose standing outside and waiting and –

She looked beautiful. Glowing. Standing there, under the streetlight, hands in her pockets, the light of the street lamp playing on her hair and. The soft smile on her face, the little sparkle in her dark eyes. Rey could almost hear her humming as she was rocking back and forth on her feet. Rose really had dressed up – in true Janelle Monáe style, she was wearing heels, black pants, a dress shirt and a bow tie, with her hair in the usual mini bun. Rey stepped on the brake to avoid crashing into something. Concentrating was really difficult at the moment.

If this was a movie, she would roll up to Rose, elegantly step of her bike, offer Rose the rose with a bow, and then kiss her. She definitely wouldn’t wobble up to Rose when she misjudged the distance and speed she would need. She definitely wouldn’t get tangled up in her skirt as she hopped down from the saddle and only scarcely avoid crashing into the ground. She definitely wouldn’t prick herself on the rose’s thorns as she removed it from her mouth and then wince as she nervously presented it to Rose. And she definitely, definitely wouldn’t avoid kissing Rose at any costs because they were just friends and she didn’t even know whether Rose liked her. Hell, when they were on their coffee not-date, she had said several times that she didn’t want to be doing this.

Yet, Rose was smiling at her with the widest smile she had ever seen and then she was laughing and Rey was laughing too because this was so effing ridiculous. What the heck were they doing here. Still, Rose graciously accepted her offered rose in a sweeping gesture and winked before she stuck it in her bun.

They jumped on Rey’s bike and then they were gone. Rose guided her as best as possible to the exhibitions pace, but they still got lost several times. When they finally arrived at the “exhibition thing”, Rey was sweating a little. She ordered her outfit last minute and took a deep breath. The light was flowing out of the door while they were standing outside under the cover of darkness. Rey steeled herself.

“Here we go”, she murmured.

She looked down as she felt something touching her hand and she saw Rose, trying to blindly take her hand. This was it. She grabbed Rose’s hand and strode through the door.

Instantly, they were met with ceaseless chatter and a mellow background music. Rey’s eyes wandered over the crowd, trying to find Jess’ sleek back hair, while Rose was dragging her through the throng of people. She wasn’t that tall – not nearly tall enough to play lookout – but Rose was even shorter than her. Therefore, she was pleasantly surprised when Rose suddenly stopped and she found herself standing right in front of Jess. Like last time they had met, Jess hugged her profusely thanking both of them for whatever they were doing there. However, Rey could see that she at least anxious as herself. This meant a lot to Jess. With a weak smile, she began dragging Rose away, Rey trailing after, yet again.

“Here I’ll quickly introduce you to my professor to show him I don’t make things up and that I’m just naturally talented at this! I mean look at that!” Jess motioned to a row of pictures on the wall for which Rey was moving too fast to see properly. “Thank you so much again honestly! But ugh. This is so annoying he’s so annoying and – hey Professor!” Jess’ voice rose two octaves from grumbling-and-pissed-off to I’m-really-trying-hard-not-to-kill-you-right-now-and-trying-to-get-a-good-grade-with-this-cheery-ass-voice. As Rey sneaked a peak at Rose next to her, she saw her putting on a sweet smile as fake as Jess’ friendliness. It was still cute though. Hurriedly, Rey did the same.

Jess’ professor was a professor. Older guy. Nondescript. Honestly, Rey didn’t care about him. She had seen a ton like him already. She was more focused on Rose’s hand in hers, and that she was probably sweating, and that this was such a nice feeling actually. Rose rose to her ear.

“He looks really ugly”, she whispered. Rey giggled.

That’s when Jess turned around to them.

“So, this is Rose and this is Rey, and they are on the pictures I submitted, and contrary to whatever you might think, they are actually dating.” Rey and Rose supplied the matching fake smiles to this introduction while Rey was trying really hard to suppress more giggles.

“Hello”, Jess’ professor said in a gruff voice and stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Reluctantly, Rey and Rose shook his hand. Reluctantly not only because his hand seemed not very inviting but also because Rey had to let go of Rose. However, as soon as it was over Rey gladly rejoined with Rose. And Jess’ professor began his “interrogation”.

“So, since when have you two been dating?” He looked sharply at them, in a, what seemed to be, interrogating manner.

“A while”, Rey answered. Rose nodded.

“A while”, she agreed. “Honestly I can’t even remember. It seems like yesterday and forever at the same time.”

“Right.” Honestly, Rey was in no way intimidated by his manner – she was more anxious because of the general situation and that Rose was standing so close and seemingly moving closer any second.

“So you agreed to this, right? When did she take the photos?”

Rose cleared her throat.

“About three weeks ago? There was this really nice and sunny day three weeks ago – I remember wanting to go swimming but then Jess called.”

“And do you know what particularly endears you about your partner?” This was accompanied by a raised eyebrow. And an expectant look at Rey.

“Uh…” In the split-second that one “uh” bought her, Rey decided to be truthful. “Her laugh. It’s the happiest and most joyful laugh I have ever heard.”

Jess’ professor moved his “steely” gaze to Rose. She didn’t seem to have to think too long.

“Her wonder. Her wit. Her personality that gets me to laugh so much.”

And with that, Rose pulled her away. Rey turned away with a stunned look. When she was walking next to her again, Rey instinctively gave her a kiss on the cheek. And then looked straight ahead in embarrassment and shock. Also to avoid looking at whatever was showing on Rose’s face.

They exited the building. They reached Rey’s bike. And then they just stood there. Awkwardly. Very awkwardly. Through Rey’s mind there were all these thoughts playing on loop, mostly a variation of “I really like her but now she hates me”. And they were going around faster and faster, caught in a maelstrom. Until Rose spoke up, rather timidly.

“Hey, uhm.”

Rey realized they were still holding hands. Suddenly she remembered her good manners.

“Hey, I can take you home now, if you want me to. I can also give you some money for the bus or something if you want. I mean I don’t really have much money, but yeah it’s enough for the bus!”

Oh god. Really Rey? Really? Rose looked down at the ground.

“Uhm. Yeah. We probably should go.”

It had been stupid for Rey to expect anything. Of course Rose wanted to go down. Wouldn’t she want to too? This had been far too predictable.

“Or”, Rose continued, “uhm. I know this really nice place. I go there a lot to just relax. We could go there, and I don’t know.”

A little rose started blossoming in Rey’s heart. They took her bike again, the cool night air blowing through Rey’s hair. Wisps of fortune, playing around in the breeze. A little smile was climbing onto her lips. The stars were sparkling from above.

Rose let them to a little pond. Surrounded by trees, it lay there. A black disk spotted with the stars from above. As soon as Rey entered the groove, a peaceful air wrapped itself around her. It went in through her nose, and her mouth, as she took a breath, and it cooled her lungs and let the sweat on her forehead dry. Rey took another deep breath. Then she spotted Rose about two meters from her, sitting on the damp grass. Cautiously, she sat down next to her.

“I can understand why you come here to relax.” Rey turned her head and smiled at Rose. Rose met her gaze smiling back, with a sparkle in her eyes.

Rose had never looked more beautiful. Here, away from everyone, with Rey’s new favorite smile blooming on her lips, with slight mussed hair, and a glitter in her eyes. With the stars glimmering above, and a breeze rippling over the pond. The small waves lapping at the shore. The occasional croak of a frog. The fireflies dotting the air. You could almost hear their lights going ‘plink!’ as they switched on. The quiet rustling of the trees as the breeze caressed their leaves. And the way Rose seemed to be coming closer.

Rey closed her eyes.

And then their lips softly met, and Rey opened her eyes again, and they kissed again, and again, and again.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! come and talk to me @ my tumblr (divinetheta)


End file.
